Starting device for internal combustion engines



Jan. 1l, 1944.

J. R. GoloT 2,338,929

STARTING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed April 28,' 1941 Patented Jan. 11, 1944 STARTING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL CGMBUSTION ENGINES Jean Roger Goiot, Nantes, France; vested in the Alien Property Custodian Application April 2s, 1941, serial No. 390,857 In France September 24, 1940 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a starter for explosion engines, particularly applicable to removable out-board engines for boats.

It is known that engines of this type are generally started by means of a cable which is provided with a handle and is Wound on a pulley which is retracted by a spring and which is secured to the driving shaft, when the pull is exerted on the cable, by means of a free-wheel, of a pawl coupling, or of a similar device, en-

, -abling the pulley to vbe released from the engine as soon as the latter has started. However, in most of the devices of this type, any backward rotation of the engine, due for example to an overheated spark plug or to a stoppage on the compression stroke, causes the starting pulley to be driven backwards by the engine and consequently the breaking of the cable or, if the latter resists, the breaking of the other members of the due to the reverse rotation of the engine to be avoided, but has the drawback that any lack of lubrication or any introduction of a foreign body into the thrust ball bearings produces an untimely coupling which causes serious damage. The starter which is the object of the present invention is intended to remedy all these drawbacks and itis characterized by the feature that the coupling between the starting pulley and the engine is effected in such a manner that none of the members of the starter is in contact with the driving shaft when the cable is released.

By way of example, two embodiments of the starter 'which is the object of the invention have been described hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

' vtop of the case I.

' carries a plate 5 on whic'h are pivoted, on spindles Fig. 1 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of a rst embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial view of al modification of the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing (Fig. 1), in a case I, which is xed on the crankcase of the engine 6, 6 eccentric cams 1, l which are adapted to wedge, by pivoting in the direction of the arrows f, against a cylindrical flange 8 provided on the ywheel 2 of the engine. According to'` the invention, this pivoting of the cams is positively controlled by the starting operation and as soon as said operation is finished, the cams 'l are automatically returned to their initial position so as to eliminate any contact between the starter and the engine. For this purpose, the pulley 9, on which the cable I0 actuated by the handle II is Wound and xed by its end, is loosely mounted on the shaft 3 by means of a sleeve I2, the lower end of which' carries a plate I3 on which are xed fingers I4, I4' which are equal in number to the cams l, l and pass through the plate 5 of the shaft 3 in arcuate grooves I5, I5' and engage in radial grooves I6, I6' provided in the camsv'l, l A retracting spring I'I, which opposes the pull of the cable I0, connects the pulley 9 to the case I.

The device operates as follows:

A pull exerted on the cable I0 by means of the handle II causes the pulley 9 and the plate I3 to rotate in the direction of the arrow F; during the rst phase of this movement, the lingers I4 of the plate I3 move, without driving the plate 5, in the grooves I5 and cause the cams I to pivot and wedge themselves against the circular flange 8 of the flywheel 2, so that, from this time onwards, the engine is rotated. When the engine has been started and the cable II) released, the retracting spring I'I returns the pulley backwards,

this return movement causing the coupling camsl 'I to be pivoted in the opposite direction by the lingers I4. In this manner, the starter is completely separated from the engine andthere is' no danger of any accident .when a backward rotation of the engine occurs and no untimely coupling can take place.

In the modification shown in'Fig. 2, the cams are shaped like pawls I8, I8 the noses of which are adapted to engage with teeth I9 provided on the circular flange 8 of the flywheel 2, the operation being identical with that described above with reference to the device shown in Fig. 1.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the pulley 9, which is actuated by the cable l and the handle Il, is fixed on a shaft 20, the upper end of which is provided with a. screw-thread 2| engaged in a tapped bush 22 secured to the top of the case I, said screw-thread being such that the shaft 2U moves downwards as it rotates when the cable Il] is pulled, and moves upwards again by the action of the retracting spring I1 when the cable is released. The lower end of the shaft carries a free-wheel formed by a plate 23 provided with ramps, rollers 24, 24 and an external ring 25 carrying teeth 26, 26' which are adapted to mesh, when the shaft 20 is in its low position, with the teeth 2l of a cylindrical flange 28 xed on the ilywheel 2 of the engine.

When a pull is exerted on the cable lll by means of the handle Il, the pulley is rotated and rotates the shaft 2U and the free-wheel 23-2i- 25, the Whole arrangement eiecting a downward movement owing to the screw-thread 2I22, so that the teeth 26 mesh with the teeth 2l and drive the engine, When the engine has been started, the cable is released and the retracting spring l1 causes the whole arrangement to move upwards into its initial position, thereby completely separating the starter from the engine. In the event of afback'ward rotation of the engine during the starting operation, the teeth 21 rotate the free-wheel in the reverse direction to the starting direction, thereby causing the shaft 20 to screwV into the bush 22 and therefore the teeth 26 to become quickly disengaged, so that any danger of an accident is eliminated,

While there has been described Awhat is at present considered to be the preferred embodiments of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and it is, therefore, aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall Within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

l. claim:

1. A starter for an explosion engine comprising an auxiliary shaft, a pull cable, a starting pulley adapted to be rotated by the unwindlng of said cable loosely mounted on theshaft and provided with a sleeve-like extension, a retracting spring for said pulley, unidirectional clutch members for rotating the ywheel of the engine by means of said pulley including an annular clutch member carried with the flywheel of the engine, an apertured plate fixed on the auxiliary shaft, other clutching members pivoted to the plate for cooperating with the annular clutch member on the ywheel, and means extending from the` pulley sleeve and passing through the plate and operatively engaged with the pivoted clutching members for effecting an engagement of the latter with the annular clutch member when the cable is pulled and for releasing the clutch members when backward rotation takes place responsive to the action of said spring.

2. An arrangement as claimed in claim l, in which a plate is mounted on the sleeve extension of the pulley, and pins extending from said plate through the apertured plate and engaging with radial slots in the pivoted clutching members.

3. A starter for an explosion engine comprising a casing adapted to be mounted on the end of the engine casing and about the flywheel thereof and provided in its outer end With a bearing, an auxiliary shaft journalled in the bearing in the casing, an apertured plate mounted at the end of the auxiliary shaft, a starting pulley loosely mounted on the said auxiliary shaft and having a sleeve-like extension, a plate mounted on the sleeve-like extension, a pull cable connected to andwound about the starting pulley, a retracting spring for said 'starting pulley, an annular clutching member carried by the flywheel, other clutching mem- 

